Among the amendments in Bill C-41: securing the tenure of military judges until retirement, permitting the appointment of part-time judges, adding sentencing options, and modifying the composition of a court martial panel according to the rank of the accused.

“This legislation is aimed at strengthening the Canadian military justice system,” said MacKay, who thanked those who have expressed support for the bill.

During the meeting, opposition and government MPs questioned MacKay over the finer points of the bill.

NDP MP Jack Harris urged MacKay to keep an open mind on record of summary offences in a military context — charges that can follow a member of the forces into civilian life, making work and travel more difficult.

Liberal MP Raymonde Folco expressed concerns that the act would give a defence minister the power to launch an investigation into a judge. MacKay said the justice system curtails the minister’s powers. In any case, he said, he did not consider it an interference to order an investigation. After all, he told the members, ordering the action would not require interfering with it.

Exchange of the day:

Before questioning MacKay, Liberal defence critic Dominic Leblanc commended the defence minister on his French. “We know that you were able to do that without needing protection from Bill 101,” he told MacKay. “The way you have expressed yourself here has been exemplary.”

The comment was a dig at committee chair, Conservative MP Maxime Bernier, who opposed Quebec’s language law during an interview with a Halifax radio station on Friday.

MacKay and Bernier both laughed at Leblanc’s comment, as did most everyone else in the committee room.